Thank you for your question. I understand you’re 26-years-old and you’d like to know if there are blood tests that could help determine other causes of hair loss aside from male pattern hair loss.I think I can certainly help you with this question, as hair loss treatment has been a big part of my practice, particularly in the area of non-surgical hair loss. To give you a little about my background — I am a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and a Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I’ve also been performing hair transplants for that same amount of time.In our practice when a patient like yourself comes in with hair loss concerns, we look at their family history on both the mother’s and father’s side of the family, and by doing this, we’ve been able to establish some degree of a hair loss pattern within the family. Now, it’s important to understand that hair loss is associated with a genetic roll of the dice, particularly since there are 11 chromosomes that are linked to hair loss. This means that pattern hair loss can be sporadic and variable; in some cases it can manifest, and in other cases it won’t. As part of the evaluation, we also look at general medical health. There are certain blood tests that are routinely performed as part of a general physical examination for men, and that includes taking vitamin D levels. Vitamin D plays an important role in maximizing hair quality, and because it is common see a decrease in vitamin D levels, we always require patients to take vitamin D.For most men, we examine the scalp with a microscope to establish if there is pattern loss or hair thinning. Hair thinning, where normal hair progressively becomes thinner and thinner until it disappears, is very typical of androgenetic alopecia. To my knowledge, there is no genetic or nutritional deficiency that creates this type of pattern. I have no qualms about supplementary nutrition to improve overall hair health, whether it is in the form of multivitamins or Omega-3 acids. However, when you see that even people with nutritional deficiencies and less than ideal living circumstances can have a full head of hair, you need to question whether it really is an issue of nutrition or an issue of genetics. Many people also think hair loss could be hormone-related and they will try to see an endocrinologist for advice, which there is no harm in doing. I would have to say that from my experience, 95% of hair loss is genetic pattern hair loss.In our practice, we use a treatment called Hair Regeneration to help people with pattern hair loss. Hair Regeneration makes use of a combination of platelet-rich plasma and Acellular matrix delivered via an injection into the scalp. There is no surgery involved, and usually only one Hair Regeneration session is needed. The treatment is able to stop the progression of hair loss, reverse the thinning process so that existing thinning hair becomes thicker, and reactivates the growth cycle of existing hair follicles in the scalp. It is a remarkable treatment that has shown a 99% success rate for both male and female pattern hair loss. In fact, it has been so successful that people from all over the world come to our offices just to receive this single treatment. We’ve also started a company called TrichoStem™ Hair Regeneration to allow us to give more people access to this type of regenerative treatment outside our main New York offices.Going back to your question, you can look at thyroid hormones, iron levels, liver function, and hormonal levels, in addition to having a blood test. Most of the time, people come to us after they have exhausted everything else. They will have all the above tests already done, and some will even get a rheumatologic and autoimmune workup, just so they can be absolutely sure they have ruled out everything else that could possibly lead to hair loss.Women, on the other hand, have more sensitivity to variations in hormone levels. For example, some women report experiencing hair loss after starting a birth control pill, stopping a birth control pill, pregnancy, delivery, etc. There are more issues that need to be taken into consideration when treating women. With men, once male pattern hair loss is diagnosed, treatment options usually range from topical drugs such as finasteride and minoxidil to hair transplants, though many patients choose to go with Hair Regeneration due to the straightforwardness of the treatment. I think it would be beneficial for you to look into Hair Regeneration treatment, or other similar treatments.I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.
